Joshua Powell

Deputy Chief AI Officer, Office of the Commissioner

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Deputy Chief AI Officer (DCAIO) Joshua Powell became the first Acting Director of AI Implementation at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in October 2023 and was subsequently named the first Deputy Chief AI Officer when the position was announced in July of 2024.

As DCAIO, Mr. Powell promotes the use of AI at CBP to help enhance its overall mission effectiveness and impact on national security. In doing so, he has begun the process of AI governance and has operational oversight of existing and new AI applications and tools while further helping the organization responsibly plan for future AI implementation

Mr. Powell is also a founding member of CBP’s Innovation Team (CBP INVNT), which resides in CBP’s Office of the Commissioner with a mandate to identify, adapt, and deliver innovative commercial technology solutions to keep front-line personnel safer and more effective. In November 2021, he took on the role of Deputy Director with CBP INVNT where he further institutionalized innovation and the adoption of next-generation technologies from the startup community at CBP.

While with CBP INVNT, Mr. Powell has helped CBP transition more than 30 capabilities from pilot or proof-of-concept to long term enterprise solutions. Throughout his career he has instituted various policies and strategies intended to provide the USBP with the flexibility needed to adapt at the speed of commercial innovation. Through his work with CBP INVNT, Mr. Powell was integral in deploying the next generation of Autonomous Surveillance Towers and other autonomous technologies intended to enhance USBP capabilities along the southern, northern, and coastal borders.

Mr. Powell has been heavily involved with the U.S. Border Patrol’s technology deployments since early in his career. A career U.S. Border Patrol agent, Mr. Powell entered on duty in 2007 as a member of Academy Class 722 and was assigned to Tucson Sector’s Tucson Station. In 2015, he was promoted to Supervisory Border Patrol Agent at Tucson Sector’s Ajo Station. He is certified and trained on all surveillance systems deployed along the southern border and has managed multiple surveillance operations teams in Southern Arizona. He has worked on the level one, two, and three acquisition programs in support of USBP domain awareness deployments.

In September 2017, he was promoted to Operations Officer at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in May 2019, he was promoted to Assistant Chief to continue his work with leading the USBP Innovation Team and as the lead conduit between user groups and CBP’s Office of Information Technology. In April 2024, OIT recognized Mr. Powell for his leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and for helping to deliver innovation and game changing IT capability to the field, ensuring CBP can secure our nation’s borders, facilitate trade, and support secure travel.

Mr. Powell holds is a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.

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